MORMON MOM CHARGED W/POISONING HUBBY FACING ADDITIONAL CHARGES

Summary

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Crime Stories with Nancy Grace: "Mormon Mom Charged w/ Poisoning Hubby Facing Additional Charges"

Date: December 13, 2025
Podcast: iHeartPodcasts and CrimeOnline
Host: Nancy Grace

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Episode Overview

Nancy Grace and her expert panel dive deep into the case of Corey Richens—the Utah "Moscow Mule mom," realtor, and children's book author—charged with poisoning her husband, Eric Richins, and now facing a slew of additional felony charges. The discussion unpacks the details of Eric's suspicious death, the mounting evidence against Corey, and the complex familial and financial contexts surrounding the case. The episode balances forensic analysis, criminal law perspectives, and psychological insight, offering a comprehensive exploration of the alleged crime.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

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1. Introduction to the Case and the Charges

[03:06]

• Main Theme: Corey Richens, dubbed the “Moscow Mule mom,” is charged with aggravated murder in the fentanyl poisoning death of her husband, Eric Richins (age 39). Additional charges include:
  • 5 counts of mortgage fraud
  • 7 counts of money laundering
  • 1 count of communications fraud
  • 1 count of engaging in a pattern of unlawful activity
  • 5 counts of forgery
  • 7 counts of issuing bad checks
• Nancy Grace: “Even if she was convicted on all of those, she’d get out of jail in no time. It's the murder charge I'm interested in.”

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2. Timeline and Circumstances of Eric’s Death

[05:06, 08:54]

• Eric was found dead on the bedroom floor in March after a family celebration (he had closed a business deal).
• Corey made him a Moscow Mule as a celebratory drink. She claimed she later slept in her son's room due to nightmares and found Eric cold to the touch hours later.
• All-star expert panel assembled to analyze the medical, psychological, and investigative aspects.

Notable Quote:

• Nancy Grace: “She goes back in at 3am and her husband is cold to the touch. What a horrible event.”

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3. Medical Perspective: Sudden Death in 39-Year-Olds

[05:12–07:58]

• Dr. Kendall Crowns (Chief Medical Examiner): Body can become cold to the touch within 30–60 minutes following death.
• Dr. Paul Christo (Johns Hopkins School of Medicine): It is rare for someone as young as Eric to die suddenly in sleep without an underlying health issue.
• Dr. Angela Arnold (Psychiatrist): Young people rarely die in their sleep unless from specific medical causes; such cases naturally trigger suspicion.

Notable Quotes:

• Dr. Christo [06:37]: “This is a rare event… unless you have underlying cardiac problems… It just doesn’t happen.”
• Dr. Arnold [07:11]: “When we hear of a younger person dying in their sleep, there’s some curiosity about that.”

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4. Exploring the Couple's Background

[08:54–10:15]

• Both spouses flipped houses as a business, living comfortably in a $1.1M home near Park City, Utah.
• Eric came from a large, well-known Mormon family in Summit County.
• Despite their religious background (no alcohol, even chocolate as a stimulant), both reportedly drank Moscow Mules the night he died.

Notable Quote:

• Nancy Grace [09:51]: “They’re Mormons, correct? My friends wouldn’t even drink chocolate milk, so these two are having Moscow Mules…”

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5. Public Grieving and Media Attention

[11:43, 12:34]

• Corey and her children wrote and promoted a children’s book, "Are You With Me?", about coping with their father’s death, which she promoted on local TV.

Notable Quotes:

• Corey Richens [12:34]: “It’s kind of the three Cs... connection, continuity, and care. Making sure their spirit is always alive in your home…”
• Nancy Grace [13:21]: “How children cope with the death of a dad… these are little, little boys.”

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6. The Financial Motive: Mounting Debt and Insurance Policies

[18:00, 40:47]

• Corey secretly took out a $250,000 home equity loan on Eric’s premarital home and used it to fund her realty business.
• K. Richens Realty was in deep debt, owing $1.8M before Eric's death and nearly $5M the next day.
• Prosecutors allege the motive was to access the life insurance payout; after a near-fatal incident on Valentine's Day, Eric changed his will, removing Corey as beneficiary.

Notable Quotes:

• Nancy Grace [18:00]: “That's 250,000 reasons she had to kill him.”
• Nancy Grace [40:47]: “She goes into his life insurance policy... changes it to make her exclusively the life insurance policy beneficiary.”

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7. Cause of Death: Fentanyl Poisoning

[21:08]

• Jen Smith: Autopsy revealed five times the lethal dose of fentanyl in Eric’s system. Fentanyl was illegally obtained (not prescription).
• Dr. Christo: Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid. Illicit versions are common street drugs.

Notable Quotes:

• Jen Smith [21:08]: “He had five times that amount in his body.”
• Dr. Christo [22:15]: “Fentanyl is synthetic… non-synthetic would be codeine or morphine. This means it’s just made in the laboratory…”

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8. Patterns and Prior Incidents

[28:49–31:27]

• Eric suspected Corey of poisoning him previously:
  • On a family trip to Greece.
  • On Valentine’s Day, after dinner with Corey, he became violently ill and told friends he suspected her.
  • Used EpiPen and Benadryl but fell unconscious.
• After the Valentine's incident, Eric changed the beneficiaries on his will and power of attorney.

Notable Quote:

• Jen Smith [28:49]: “Not only is that disturbing, but more so is the fact that this was the second time he thought she had tried to poison him.”

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9. The Digital Footprint and Drug Purchases

[33:52–36:33]

• Cell phone records contradicted Corey’s alibi—her phone was active while she claimed it was charging and unused.
• Deleted messages and purchases of fentanyl traced to a drug dealer; Corey requested “Michael Jackson stuff” (street talk for fentanyl).
• She purchased $900 worth of fentanyl before both the Valentine’s Day poisoning attempt and Eric’s fatal ingestion.

Notable Quotes:

• Ariel Harrison [33:52]: “Evidence showed Corey was in contact with a drug dealer… leading up to Eric’s death.”
• Bobby Chacon [36:33]: “The minute those phone records come back and you realize she lied to you, she has to become suspect number one.”

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10. Legal Insights: Use of Prior Bad Acts and Hearsay

[27:59, 43:43]

• Jeffrey Wolf (Criminal Defense Attorney):
  • Prior bad acts (Rule 404b) can be introduced if they establish motive, scheme, or pattern—not merely to show defendant acted “in conformity therewith.”
  • Hearsay exceptions (present sense impression, excited utterance) may allow statements from Eric about fearing for his life to be heard at trial.
• Debate over legal barriers:
  • Nancy Grace argues these exceptions exist precisely for cases like this.
  • Wolf acknowledges exceptions but notes courts are cautious about criminal defendants’ rights.

Notable Quotes:

• Wolf [27:59]: “It can come in for motive, scheme... plan, modus operandi...”
• Wolf [44:12]: “Present sense impression allows those statements of somebody who is not available to be cross examined to come in.”

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11. Psychological Analysis: Corey’s Actions Post-Death

[49:56]

• Writing and promoting a children’s book about grief while allegedly responsible for Eric’s death is explored as evidence of her lack of emotional attachment.
• Dr. Arnold discusses attachment theory, suggesting Corey shows a “complete lack of attachment to her husband.”

Notable Quote:

• Dr. Arnold [49:56]: “It doesn’t mean you’re insane—but she doesn’t have any attachment.”

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Memorable Moments & Quotes

• Nancy Grace [18:00]: “That's 250,000 reasons she had to kill him.”
• Jen Smith [21:08]: “He had five times that amount in his body.”
• Dr. Christo [22:56]: “You make it in a laboratory? Well, they make it in an RV sometimes, but you just make it. You cook it up?”
• Ariel Harrison [33:52]: “She requested for, quote, the Michael Jackson stuff, asking specifically for fentanyl.”
• Bobby Chacon [36:33]: “She made herself suspect number one.”
• Nancy Grace [49:30]: “Well, that’s going to hurt her a whole lot more than murdering her husband.”

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Corey Richens' Additional Charges: [03:06]
• Timeline of Eric’s Death: [05:06], [08:54]
• Medical Analysis on Sudden Death: [05:12–07:58]
• Background and Family Dynamics: [08:54–10:15]
• Media Coverage of Grief Book: [11:43], [12:34]
• Financial Motive & Debt: [18:00], [40:47]
• Fentanyl Details & Toxicology: [21:08–23:41]
• Prior Poisoning Attempts: [28:49–31:27]
• Phone Evidence & Drug Purchases: [33:52–36:33]
• Legal Discussion (Rule 404b, Hearsay): [27:59], [43:43]
• Psychological Insight into Corey: [49:56]

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Podcast Tone & Style

• Language & Tone: Direct, at times sarcastic or darkly humorous (Nancy Grace's sharp commentary is a hallmark), no-nonsense expert analysis, emotionally engaged, especially regarding the impact on the victim’s family.
• Notable Style Elements:
  • Frequent interruption for clarification and personal anecdotes.
  • Rapid-fire questioning, especially from Nancy Grace.
  • Blend of legal, medical, psychological, and investigative expertise adds depth.

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Summary Takeaways

• This episode presents a damning portrait of Corey Richens: facing both murder and a mountain of financial crime charges.
• The narrative weaves together forensic findings (high levels of illicit fentanyl), a suspicious timeline, financial stressors, prior attempts on the victim’s life, and digital evidence that undermines Corey’s alibi.
• The panel discusses how these elements converge to suggest a calculated plot for financial gain—with experts emphasizing the rare, deliberate nature of the crime.
• As trial looms, the consensus is clear: the prosecution’s case is buttressed by a mosaic of suspicious behaviors, damning medical and forensic evidence, and a compelling financial motive.

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Nancy Grace's Closing Words:
“Murder suspect Corey Richards, clearly swimming in millions of dollars of debt. And she believed, according to prosecutors, her husband's life insurance policy would take care of it all. But first, he had to die. We wait. As this case goes to trial and justice unfolds.”
[50:23]

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Transcript

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And improving campaign performance. One platform, many audiences, endless possibilities. That's how you MailChimp your marketing with SMS. Tap the banner to learn more crime stories with Nancy Grace. So called Moscow Mule mom Corey Richens charged in the poisoning death of her husband, the father of her children now facing a slew of new felony charges. And of course she's whining behind bars. Look woman, that's what happens when you kill your husband. According to prosecutors. I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. I want to thank you for being with us. The so called Moscow Mule mom Corey Richen set to go to trial, now facing a host of brand new criminal charges. Guess what they are. Five counts of mortgage fraud, seven counts of money laundering, one count of communications fraud and one count of engaging in a pattern of unlawful activity. All of those are second degree felonies plus five counts forgery and seven Counts issuing bad check, third degree felonies. You know what, even if she was convicted on all of those, she got out of jail in no time. It's the murder charge I'm interested in. But as of right now, the mother and realtor charged with aggravated murder and the death of husband, 39 year old Eric Richards and attempting to murder him a month before jury selection set to go first forward in just weeks. This is what police say happened. First of all, take a listen to our friends at kutv. This is the home where police found Eric Richards dead on his bedroom floor in March. Richards and his wife Corey were celebrating a business accomplishment the night he died. Corey made Eric a Moscow Mule, which he drank in the bedroom. They say Corey told authorities that she left to help one of their children and returned to the bed several hours later. It was then, they say she noticed Eric was cold to the touch and called 91 1. What a horrible event to leave your husband, go fall asleep in the bedroom with one of your sons. She wanders back in there to sleep in their bed around 3am and her husband and is cold to the touch. With me, an all star panel to make sense of what we know right now. But first I want to go to chief medical examiner out of Tarrant County. That's Fort Worth lecturer University Texas Austin and Texas Christian University Medical School. Dr. Kendall Crowns. Dr. Crowns, it's such an honor to have you and Dr. Paul Christo with us. Dr. Crowns, my first question to you is how long has a body, how long has a person been dead before their body is cold to the touch?

[D]

Usually once your heart stops beating and your body starts taking on the temperature of the surrounding environment, those can happen in probably about a half hour to an hour where you start noticing the body has changed temperature or gotten cold.

[A]

Okay. You know, Dr. Killenkrans, I know you're the MD and I'm the JD, but I believe I'm going to seek a second opinion. I'm going to go to Dr. Paul Christo, professor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, author of Aches and Gains, a comprehensive guide to overcoming your pain. Dr. Paul Christo. I thought it would take so much longer for a body to get completely cold to the touch. And I do agree with Dr. Kendall Crowns regarding the ambient air in the room and what difference that would make. But in this case, they were at home with their three little boys. So I'm assuming, I think it's safe to assume the temperature would have been between 69 and let's just say 71 right.

[D]

I mean, I would probably say somewhere around similar to Dr. Crown probably, you know, 40 minutes to an hour.

[A]

Dr. Paul Christo, how often do people just die in their sleep? I mean, this is a young man. He was 39 years old at the time of his death.

[D]

Not very often, suffice it to say. I mean, this is, this is a rare event. It doesn't happen unless you have, you know, maybe some underlying cardiac problems, for example, maybe pulmonary problems. It's very rare just to drop dead in your sleep, you know.

[A]

Dr. Angela Arnold, joining me, psychiatrist, renowned psychiatrist in the atlanta [e-mail] Dr. Angie maybe it's just my line of business, but whenever ever I hear died in your sleep, there's always something bad attached to that. But I guess people really do die in their sleep.

[E]

Well, they do, Nancy, and it's usually older people who die in their sleep. They can suffer an arrhythmia of their heart, and those are the people that can die in their sleep. But like you said, Nancy, whenever we hear of a younger person dying in their sleep, there's some curiosity about that. I mean, young people don't have heart issues typically. So young people don't typically die in their sleep, and that's typically what you die from at night.

[A]

I disagree with you, too, all three of you doctors. I, in my vast knowledge of medicine, disagree with all of you because my dad had his first coronary thrombosis at age 39. That's pretty young. This guy is 39.

[E]

Well, it is, Nancy, but that's still unusual.

[A]

It's not.

[E]

It's not. That's not the norm. That's all I would say.

[A]

Okay. All right. Let me get us back on track. This guy is actually celebrating. You know, let me let Jen Smith tell you. Jen Smith is joining us, chief Investigative reporter for DailyMail.com on this. From the very beginning, the unusual death of Eric Richards, just 39 years old, father of three little boys. Jen, thank you for being with us. Explain to me how this whole thing went down because they were having a celebration that evening. From what I understand, the wife, Corey Richards, flips houses. She'll buy she's got a business partner. They buy houses, they improve them and then they flip them like on hgtv. The flip your house. That's what she does. And that evening they were having some kind of a celebration because she had closed on a home.

[C]

You tell me, JEN Yeah, that's exactly right, Nancy. But they actually our understanding of it is that they worked pretty Closely together, Korea. And her husband Eric, like you say, exactly the type of business that you just described. They flipped houses. So when Eric came home that evening and his wife is at the house with the kids, they're celebrating because he has just closed a deal on a.

[E]

Sale of a home.

[C]

So bringing more money into the family. And listen, this is a picture perfect family. They live in a really nice area not too far outside of Park City in Utah. The town is called Kamath. Really beautiful, rural in the mountains. And they had this great life. They themselves lived in a $1.1 million home. And as you rightly pointed out, Eric had just closed another deal. So it was a happy occasion for the Richins family this evening.

[A]

Now, let me understand. They're Mormons, correct?

[C]

They are, yeah. So Eric Richards actually comes from a pretty prominent Mormon family. The Richmonds family is a large family in at least Summit County. This is the area of Utah that we're talking about. Many, many relatives and very well known in the community. He and Touri had been married for nine years and they had three beautiful boys together when he died.

[A]

Here's my question. I have several friends that are devout Mormons. They don't even drink chocolate milk gin because chocolate is a stimulant. So these two are having Moscow Mules.

[C]

Yeah. So what we know now is that after he returns home from closing this deal, as a celebration, Kuri, his wife, makes him a Moscow Mule vodka, his cocktail. And that is where they kind of leave things for the night, like you say.

[A]

She goes off to get with the son who is having a nightmare. Sleeps in the room with the son having a nightmare.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

And she leaves him sitting up in bed having his drink, TV going, everything's fine. So this mom, devastated, finding her husband cold in the bed and having all sorts of survivor guilt. Why did I leave him? I'm alive, he's dead. That she and her children get together and they actually write a book called are you with me? Because it's not like, are you with me? Like, do you understand? It's literally, are you with me, dad? Are you still with me? Because her three little boys were having such a horrible time dealing with their father's sudden death. She writes the book and she's on local TV promoting it. And I want you to hear her words, devastated after her husband's death. Take a listen. Our cut 8.

[G]

My husband passed away unexpectedly last year. So it's March 4th, was a one year anniversary for us and he was 39. It completely took us all by shock and we have three little boys, 10, nine and six. And, you know, we kind of, my kids and I kind of wrote this book on the different emotions and grieving processes that we've experienced last year. And, you know, hoping that it can kind of help other kids, you know, deal with this and kind of, you know, find happiness some, some way or another.

[A]

And let's hear a little bit more of Corey Richens on Good Things, Utah. That's on ktvx, describing what she and her children had endured. Our cut nine.

[G]

I'm new to all of this, so kind of doing research and reading books and things to try and understand not only how to grieve as a widow, as a wife, but also with my kids, how to help them, how to help them understand what just happened. And what I have kind of found is, as I mentioned, it's kind of the three Cs is how I visualize it. And it's, you know, connection, continuity and care. And it's, you know, making sure connection is the one major one and making sure that their spirit is always alive in your home, you know, and memories are always brought up and doing things that your loved ones love to do, whether it's riding bikes or their favorite dinner and just constantly, you know, talking about them.

[A]

I'm just thinking about how children cope with the death of a dad and doing things that remind you of your loved one. To Dr. Angie Arnold. I know every year on my dad's birthday, every night after dinner, because my dad and mom had largely moved in with us, spending a lot of times with us because, you know, the children were so little just as he passed away. And every night after supper, I would make him a cup of decaf. So every year on his birthday or really throughout the year, I will send my sister a picture, you know, like on a text of a cup of decaf just steaming, because we both know what that means. And I'm just wondering what you as a parent can do to help your children. How excruciating. I mean, I was an adult when my father passed away, but these are little, little boys.

[E]

Well, and Nancy, it's important for all of us to remember that each child will, will remember this differently according to how old they are. Each child is going to have a different experience of this grief. So it's very important to. To work with each child, where they are when this happens and not gloss it over as if everyone's experiencing the same kind of grief. Depending how young some of the children are, they may not have the words to express how they feel about the fact that their father is gone. The older ones have had more time with their dad and they're going to have different memories with their dad. So it's very important to help the children remember the things that they remember according to what their ages were when the, when the parent passed away.

[A]

And this is how they came up with the name of the book. Are you with me in our cut.

[G]

11 the first day of school and you know, all the nerves that kids face on the first day of school with new, you know, and just hoping, you know, dad, like walk with me, like help me get through today, like give me the strength to do that. And it has found, you know, it's been a lot of peace for my kids to, you know, to really remember that in the back of their head that they're never alone.

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[A]

Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive. I can't take credit for that, but I do know how to add. Corey Richens allegedly used a power of attorney to get a $250,000 thousand dollars home equity line of credit on her husband Eric Richardson's premarital home without his knowledge. Remember that math? That's 250,000 reasons she had to kill him. She used the proceeds from that home equity loan to fund K. Richards Realty. Translation, Corey Richens Realty and hard money loans to finance its ongoing operations. You don't think he'd get angry when he finds out she takes out a quarter million dollar equity loan on his home? This was the home he had before they got married. When he learned about that, prosecutors say it was a quote, source of tension. I guess it was. Oh, I can tell you this right now. All H E double L would break loose if I found out my husband David took out a home equity loan without telling me. Uh, N o. So it all came to a head the night her husband died from a poisoning death. What happened to Eric Richens, Dr. Crowns? I'm just thinking about these three little boys in that home when mom is doing CPR on Eric Richards, who is dead in the bedroom already cold to the touch. And I guess once you're cold to the touch, there's no bringing you back. Would you agree with that, Dr. Crowns?

[D]

Yes, I would agree with that. Once you've gotten cold, you're probably past the time period where you can be saved.

[A]

So, Dr. Kendall crowns, it is unusual for a 39 year old man to just die in his sleep. So what would the medical examiner do in order to determine cause of death?

[D]

Well, what you do is a complete autopsy. 39 year olds usually don't die suddenly like that. There's usually something else going on. So by doing a complete autopsy, you would check all the organs for any disease processes. Coronary thrombosis, coronary artery disease, different heart abnormalities, et cetera. And then what you'd also do is draw toxicology to run toxicology screens to see if there were any drugs on board. And also do electrolytes or fluids from the eyeball where you could look at his dehydration status, his glucose, to see if he had diabetes or anything like that.

[A]

To Jen Smith, joining us from dailymail.com I've taken a long look at what we have of the medical examiner's report. What exactly is the cause of death for Eric Richens?

[C]

Well, we believe that according to this report, it's a fatal dose of fentanyl, which is a synthetic opioid. Now, you need maybe 2 milligrams of this stuff to kill you. He had five times that amount in his body.

[A]

Five times the amount of a lethal dose of fentanyl. You know, I introduced to you Dr. Paul Christo earlier, in addition to being an associate Prof. At John Hopkins School of Medicine. That's not shabby. He's also an opioid expert. Dr. Christo, as I said earlier, this is a devout Mormon family. Again, they don't even drink chocolate milk because they think it's a stimulant. So I've got them drinking Moscow Mules plus fentanyl. What exactly is fentanyl? I know there's an opioid crisis. I know there's a fentanyl crisis. I know people are dying every day of fentanyl overdoses. But could you give us some street names? What is fentanyl and what does it do to you?

[D]

Well, fentanyl is an opioid first and foremost. And opioids are used as pain relievers. They enter the bloodstream, they bind to various different, what are called opioid receptors in the brain and spinal cord to reduce pain first and foremost. We use them for many, many years as pain specialists and also in the operating room as anesthesiologists. But fentanyl is synthetic, so non synthetic opioids would be like codeine, for example, or morphine. Synthetic means it's just made in the laboratory of a pharmaceutical company, typically can be very useful as a pain reliever.

[A]

You mean like Walter White, Breaking Bad?

[D]

Yes.

[A]

You make it in a laboratory? Well, they make it in an RV sometimes, but you just make it. You cook it up?

[D]

Yes, that's right. You can make it an rv. You can make it illegally, certainly, yes. And then pharmaceutically, it's legal.

[A]

Ah, I'm so glad you said that, Dr. Christo, because a further analysis reveals that the fentanyl in Eric's blood was not legal. So apparently you can tell whether fentanyl is illegal, such as prescribed by a doctor and you go get it at the pharmacy or illegal. And I guess that goes traced back to how it's made.

[D]

That's right. We have more sophisticated methods now of determining whether medications or drugs are legal or illegal. And in this case, it sounds like it was illegal.

[A]

So bottom line, he's not getting it from the Walgreens or the CVS or the Duane read. He's getting it somewhere else. Okay, you know who would know this on this panel? Let's just go with Dr. Angie Arnold. Do you know what's in a Moscow Mule?

[E]

No, I'm sorry, I don't.

[A]

Oh, man. I got a surprise. You just surprised me because I could just see you kicked back with some of those copper. I bet Bobby Chacon does. Bobby Chacon, former special agent with the FBI and screenwriter for Criminal Minds. You can find. Find them@bobby chacon.com. bobby. There is no way you don't know what a Moscow Mule is.

[H]

No. Yeah, the basic ingredients are ginger beer and vodka or some kind of harder liquor. It's usually served in, like, a copper cup. It's a very specific drink, ginger beer, obviously ginger. People familiar with ginger, has a very strong kind of taste, a very unique kind of taste, almost overpowering if you use too much of it. So, yeah, it's a very specific drink. It's become very trendy in recent years. And ginger beer is kind of the overwhelming taste that you get that ginger from the ginger beer, which is the main ingredient to.

[A]

Dr. Paul Christo joining us, opioid expert, what does. What does fentanyl taste like?

[D]

Fentanyl is usually tasteless. It's usually tasteless.

[A]

So if I chewed up an oxy, it would taste like nothing.

[D]

Well, Oxy now is different from fentanyl.

[A]

Okay, that shows how much I know.

[D]

But yes, probably would. Tastes a bit different.

[A]

What's the street name for fentanyl?

[D]

There really is no street. I mean, it typically goes by fentanyl.

[A]

Can it be in a tablet?

[D]

Absolutely.

[A]

And so if I chew up a fentanyl tablet, I taste nothing?

[D]

Typically, you're not going to taste anything unless something's been added to the tablet.

[A]

Interesting. Interesting. Dr. Paul Christo. According to my crack legal analyst, Jackie, there are some street names. Crazy. What did you say? Crazy one. Crazy one. Dance Fever, Dragon's breath. I've never heard any of that, so I don't know how reliable that is.

[D]

Can I make a statement?

[A]

Yes, jump in.

[D]

So when it first came out, it was called Drop Dead because a lot of the people who were injecting fentanyl died so quickly they left the needle in the, in their arm. So the street name was originally drop dead because when you took it, you drop dead instantly. I think that's kind of fallen out of favor because every, every area has regional names for it.

[A]

Well, I guess that's a little bad for business for dopers.

[D]

Well, that is bad for business.

[A]

That's why started only you Kendall crowns only you. Well, you can imagine the shock that reverberates through the community when this goes down. Take a listen our cup 14kt the X. We have breaking news of this hour. Local children's book author charged with murder. 33 year old Corey Richards of Camas is being held in the Summit County Jail with no bail. Now she promoted her book on the grief on good Things Utah. That's the video you're seeing here. This is about a month ago. Court documents today showing the murder happened in March of 2022. An online obituary showing her husband, 39 year old Eric Richards died that same month. As it turns out, according to investigators, there have been other previous instances where the wife in this case had tried to murder her husband. And I find it extremely interesting. And I want to go to Jeffrey Wolf on this. Criminal defense attorney, high profile criminal, criminal defense attorney joining us out of Colorado. You can find him @wolflaw colorado.com Jeffrey, you know what I love? I love what we call in my jurisdiction similar transactions. Typically, as we saw in the Alex Murdoch case, for instance, a person's history of bad acts cannot come in at trial unless and until it is proven that those bad acts or let's just say a fingerprint of the case in chief to show motive, course of conduct, scheme, frame of mind. Would you agree with that, Jeffrey Wolf?

[D]

Yeah, 100%. The rule you're talking about is Rule 404B, which is a federal rule of evidence that is mirrored in almost all 50 states. That's going to talk about whether somebody's prior bad acts can come in as evidence in the case against them. Currently, it can't come in to show act and conformity therewith, meaning just because they did something before they did it again. But it can come in for all these other reasons that you're talking about, plan, motive, scheme, modus, operandi, to show who this person is, how they operate and how that ties them to this event.

[A]

To Jen Joining us from DailyMail.com, jen Smith, what can you tell us about prior incidents including one on Valentine's Day just a month, the month before Eric drops dead in his sleep.

[C]

Yeah, exactly. So we know about the Valentine's Day incident that you mentioned, Nancy? He, they ate a meal together and he became very ill afterwards. As a result, he ended up telling friends, I think my wife had poisoned me. Not only is that disturbing, but more so is the fact that this was the second time he thought she had tried to poison him. Once previously, during a vacation with the family, he told his sister that he thought she had tried to poison him. So once, twice, what happens after that?

[A]

So the first time, we believe, and this is according to him, and I'm going to go back to Jeff Wolf in just a moment about how you can or cannot use, use the words of someone now dead in court, because under the Sixth Amendment, everybody on trial has a right to cross examine witnesses, evidence, documents, tests used against them. And if the person's now dead, you cannot cross examine them. It's hearsay. So how can you get this information into evidence to show, if you can, that there were prior attempts on Eric's life? The first one, Jen Smith, is, I believe, about three years ago in Greece, family vacation as you described, and they had dinner and drinks together and he got very, very ill. And that's when he called his sister. Was that when he called his sister?

[C]

Yeah, we think so. We know that we're not sure exactly when this vacation was, only that it was several years ago, maybe a few years ago. And he confided in his sister, and this is a sister who he continued to confide in, especially about his marital problems with Kuri. So that was the first instance.

[A]

So I believe it was about three years ago. That was in Greece. Fast forward. He didn't die. Fast forward to this past March. Okay, March, a year ago. Yeah, that's when he died. The month before on Valentine's Day. What happened, Jen? What happened? Jen Smith?

[C]

We know that they sat down to have dinner together in their home. And for whatever reason, even though he has this previous suspicion that his wife has tried to poison him at least once before, he sits down with her, he has a meal with her, and again he becomes incredibly ill. He doesn't die. And we don't really know even if he went to the hospital. We're just going off of what we've seen in the search for it, and it's been released so far. And he became very, very ill after that Valentine's Day, and it was so.

[A]

Bad, he had used an EpiPen and Benadryl and still went unconscious. Guess what? He didn't die. Again, prosecutors note in charging documents that five months before Eric's death, Corey Richards Realty was swimming in debt. Her nose just barely above water. Let me quote. Despite K Richins Realty's existing debt and insufficient revenue, Richards continued to use hard money loans to purchase three additional properties. Adding debt upon debt upon debt including 1.1 million in high interest debt to her already stolen, staggering and unserviceable. In other words, you can't pay it off. Debt load. She needed that. Life insurance policy proceeds and she needed it quick. This is what we know. Dr. Angie Arnold. If I had two brushes with death while David is hovering over me, I would leave. But I've got a feeling this guy Eric Richards did not want to believe his wife would try to kill him. Even though he verbalized that. I think she's trying to poison me. I think he didn't want to truly accept it and leave the boys.

[E]

I completely agree with you Nancy. And if, and if you thought that someone was actually trying to kill you and this is the person that has been called the love of your life, then what could she possibly do to your children if you're not there? So you can't abandon your children for your own sake. No, people don't do that. So he was just taking his chances I guess. Scared, probably in some disbelief that she would actually want to kill him. Right. So you might think it, but you're still going to be in disbelief that this woman who you're sleeping with and who you're, who you're going on trips with and you're going to the kids baseball games with actually trying to kill you and who you're practicing your Mormon religion with. How in we call that an incongruent thought? How incongruent could that be to this man? Okay, maybe she's trying to kill me. But. But really is she? Is she?

[A]

Yeah, I think he just really. He may have said that but he couldn't truly take it in. You know another thing? I love Bobbi Chacon as I know you do too. Former special agent with the FBI. I love cell phone data. I love it so much. I want you to take a listen. Our cut 17 our friend Ariel Harrison. Evidence gathered in the death investigation revealed Corey claimed she was away from her phone that night and it was left on a charger by her bed. Teams however, gathered evidence the phone was in use during that time and sent messages had been deleted. Additional evidence showed Corey was in contact with a drug dealer in Ogden leading up to Eric's death. The legal documents state she received both hydrocodone pills and fentanyl from the dealer, claiming the drugs were intended for a client experiencing back pain. At one point, police say she requested for, quote, the Michael Jackson stuff, asking specifically for fentanyl. Information from the autopsy report determined Eric died from an overdose of fentanyl five times the lethal dosage. Wow, that's like drinking from the fire hydrant. That is so much. Way too fast. I can't drink it in. Let's just start with Bobby Chacon, the phone evidence. Because she says, I wasn't on the phone all night. I plugged it in in our room and then I went down the hall to sleep with one of my boys who was having nightmares. I go back at 3am ish, and I find him cold to the touch, dead. I immediately perform cpr, but the phone says, and. And help me out. Jen Smith. I believe the phone showed that there have been a lot of texting back and forth during the time where she says the phone was plugged in, not in use, while she was in her son's room, and all those texts were deleted. So what is she doing texting back and forth while her husband is dying and then lying about it? I mean, Jen Smith, are those. Is that. Are those facts correct?

[C]

Those facts are absolutely correct. Now, she obviously thought that he was outsmarting the authorities when she told them that she left her phone plugged in. Maybe she thought that the location inside the house wouldn't show. But yes, she. There is a record. There's a digital record. We know that. We've spoken about it many times, Nancy. You can't get rid of it, this digital footprint.

[A]

Yes. Bobby Chacon. We just saw digital evidence basically convict Alex Murdaugh and the double murder of his wife and son, Maggie and Paul. Maggie and Paul. So what about this? Had my phone plugged in the whole night, you know, until I find him killed over dead?

[H]

Yeah. I mean, when you have a case like this where she's the only other person that could have, you know, either rendered aid or caused harm, there's no forced entry, there's no blunt trauma. You. You immediately start to get her story. And for her initial statement, the minute those phone records come back and you realize she lied to you, she has to become suspect number one. Because now why would a wife lie about using her phone in the immediate aftermath of finding her husband dead or during the period where she found him dead or shortly before that? So the minute you find out she lied to you about the phone, you have to start taking a much harder look at her. Who are associates. Look at her phone records harder. Who has she been calling? Who she being in contact with? So, so she made her by lying, she made herself suspect number one. If she would have simply come up with a different excuse on why she was texting, maybe she had the phone in bed with her with the kid and she was. But the minute she lied about that, she has to become suspect.

[A]

Right then the gig is up. Jeffrey Wolfe, high profile lawyer joining us out of Colorado @wolflaw colorado.com I want you to take a listen to another alarming Circumstance in our cut 3 our.

[D]

Friends from crimeonline.com Valentine's Day 2022 Eric Richards becomes violently ill after suffering an allergic reaction after having dinner with his wife of nine years, Corey. He breaks out in hives, can't breathe, passes out after using his son's EpiPen and taking Benadryl. When Eric wakes up, he calls his business partner Cody Wright to let him know what has just happened. Then, without Corey knowing, Eric changes the beneficiary of his will and his power of attorney, replacing his wife Corey with his sister. Legal paperwork suggests that Eric believes Corey might kill him for the money and he wants his children to be financially secure.

[B]

10 athletes will face the toughest job interview in fitness that will push past physical and mental breaking points. You are the fittest of the fit. Only one of you will leave here with an IFIT contract for $250,000. This is where mindset comes in. Someone will be eliminated.

[C]

Pressure is coming down.

[B]

This is Trainer Games.

[D]

Watch it on prime video starting January 8th.

[F]

It's the coziest time of year on Britbox. That means curling up with a gripping murder mystery, basking in a sumptuous period drama or discovering a new hidden gem. See the holidays differently when you stream the best of British TV with BritBox. Watch Britbox original series including the new season of the award winning Belfast police drama Blue Lights. However you cozy this holiday, it's a bit warmer with Britbox. Watch with a free [e-mail] this is.

[B]

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[D]

Off.

[B]

Seriously, start now. You're gonna love it.

[D]

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[A]

Crime stories with nancy grace. Quote on the day of Eric Richards death, K. Richards Realty owed hard money lenders at least $1.8 million. And the day after his death, it owed nearly $5 million. So why did she agree to purchase an unfinished mansion using $2.9 million of high interest debt due payable in just six months? She knew she didn't have that money. It's all so clear. And then when he kills over, she could use that life insurance policy money to pay it all off. She goes into his life insurance policy where his partner Cody is his beneficiary, his business partner, and he she changes it to make her exclusively the life insurance policy beneficiary. And he's so worried after this Valentine's Day incident where he gets horribly ill. He cracks a joke, hey, she might kill me for the money. And he changes his will. I mean, Jeffrey Wolf, that is no joke.

[D]

No, it certainly is no joke. And what you saw here in this case is you see her attempt to take his business life insurance policy. I have one with my law partner. If something happens to one of us, we want to make sure the business is secure. And so she goes into that policy and attempts to change it so that she gets the money if he dies. And then he has this magic allergic reaction. My wife has a severe allergy that could cause problems for her. One of my employees does. You can bet your bottom dollar if I'm making them food or if I'm buying a meal for them, I'm making sure that those ingredients are not present because those are people I care about who I have a knowledge would be in trouble.

[A]

What is your wife allergic to, by the way?

[D]

She's allergic to raw tomatoes. It' unique allergy that a lot of restaurants have trouble with. But you can bet your bottom dollar there's no raw tomatoes on anything. I buy her or serve her Because I know what would happen. Okay. And so the fact that she did that is incredibly concerning. And she did it after attempting to make that change. The company caught it, by the way, and it was changed back. And then when he wakes up from that, he calls his business partner to tell him his suspicions. Joking or not, that could be a present sense impression, which is a reason to get hearsay in at the trial. Since you were mentioning hearsay before. Wasn't aware I had an evidence test today, but I'm going to pass it.

[A]

I was ready to pounce on you with the hearsay loophole, but go ahead.

[D]

I'm ready for it. I'm ready for it. My evidence practicum professor from law school would be so proud. And so present sense impression allows those statements of somebody who is not available to be cross examined to come in. But it's going to require a recency to the event and something to say that they were still under the impression of that event in order to be able to get that statement in. So how quickly he called him after he woke up needing to use an EpiPen and Benadryl is going to matter a great deal.

[A]

How would you compare present sense impression to excited utterance? Exception.

[D]

So excited utterance is something that happens right then you're seeing something and you're saying exactly what you're seeing in that moment. It happens a lot on 911 calls.

[A]

Like right when you wake up from an overdose and of fentanyl. That kind of excited utterance.

[D]

It could be an excited utterance, but it has. You have to be excited. Right. So there's. It's not just that you're saying something that's happening and relaying it as it's happening. You have to be in an excited state as well. That emotional state. If he called and he's making a joke about it, that could still be a present sense impression to say that this is something that I have recently seen.

[A]

You think there's any problem getting these statements in?

[D]

Honestly, I think that it's going to be a tough road to hoe to get these, you know, statements of somebody who's not able.

[A]

I totally disagree. That's why we have the exceptions to the hearsay rule for situations just like this.

[D]

It is exactly why we have the hearsay exceptions. However, in a court, and you're doing a criminal trial, the only person who has a right to a fair trial is the criminal defendant. And some judges will err on the side of caution.

[A]

True. Okay, you know what, Let me throw something else. At you. Let me throw something else at you. At you. Now we already know that you know. Let's hear cut five. KSL Core papers say Corey first bought painkillers from a drug dealer. Weeks later asking for something stronger. She called it some of the Michael Jackson stuff. That was just before Valentine's Day last year. Records say on Valentine's Day, Eric became very ill and believed he had been poisoned and told a friend he thought his wife was trying to poison him. The dealer told police that two weeks later, Corey purchased more fentanyl. Six days later, on March 4, 2022, Eric was found dead of a fentanyl overdose. Let me get this straight. Jen Smith, Chief Investigative Reporter, DailyMail.com on the story from the very beginning. So he has the horrible episode in Greece where he calls his sister and says, I swear I think she's trying to kill me. Ha ha ha. Then Fast forward to February 2022, Valentine's Day, another horrible episode. After eating and drinking, there's your similar transaction. Jeff Wolf always after ingesting food or, or drink, beverage with his wife, always the same MO modus operandi method of operation. She puts whatever it is, if whatever he is ingesting. So it's Valentine's, they have a dinner and drinks. Bam, he's out again. This time he lives the second time, changes his, his insurance back, changes his will. And then we find out that prior to the February incident, Valentine's and the March incident, she goes back to the drug dealer and she says, hey, I need some, some more. She buys $900 worth of fentanyl in March. He doesn't die. She goes back to the same dealer, says, hey, give me some more, man. She buys $900 worth more. This time, he dies. You know, have you ever seen those pictures? If you want to be an artist, you can just paint between the lines and suddenly have this beautiful picture.

[D]

Jeff Wolf yeah, I have seen it. And that's what we looking at here is that the pieces of this just keep coming into focus and throw on top of the fact that these are similar transactions that could go to a modus operandi or a pattern of behavior. But throw into that that a lot of states, my state, Colorado being one of them, have domestic violence allowances for similar transaction 444B evidence as well to show the certain types of behaviors that can occur in a domestic violence relationship as well, and you're going to start seeing all of this stuff like an avalanche coming in against the defense and it is going to be very, very tough to Beat it all back with no matter how big your bat is.

[A]

Bobbi Jacon and Jen Smith, I want you to hear our cut 7, our friends at ABC.

[D]

A Utah woman who wrote a children's book about coping with grief after the death of her husband last year has now been charged with his murder. Corey Richins was arrested yesterday, accused of poisoning her husband Eric with fentanyl. She also faces drug charges. Just last month, Richens appeared on local TV to promote her book about a boy who lost his dad. At the time, she said her husband's unexpected death left her and their three boys reeling.

[A]

Bobby Chacon. Not only do cops believe she murdered him, she then writes a book and tries to sell it on TV and on Amazon. Really?

[D]

Yeah.

[H]

I'm not sure. I mean, I'm sure the investigators are watching that. I'm not sure.

[D]

They.

[H]

They probably already had her in their sight. You know, her journey to do this kind of brings the next level evil to her. But I'm sure that, you know, once they saw the toxicology report, once they got those phone records back, which was all within 6, 8, 10 weeks of the event of the murder, they had her in their sights. And it was a matter of finding that drug dealer, getting. Getting a statement from them, and just tying everything together with the prosecutor and putting it all together. Her writing the book, I mean, I just. I think that impacts her reputation in the community more than this actual case, because everything was put together.

[A]

Well, that's going to hurt her a whole lot more than murdering her husband. Dr. Angie Arnold, will you help me out, please? I mean, to murder your husband and then write a book about how much your children are suffering, what they're going through. We had one child that I was already having nightmares, according to her. But doing that, not just to your husband, but to your children, and then trying to profit off of it with a book.

[E]

Nancy. I think it shows that she has a complete lack of attachment to her husband. Lots of people do not develop attachment. There's something called attachment theory. Okay, So I believe that she lacks attachment to the people in her life. And that is what. It doesn't mean. You're insane. No, but she doesn't have any attachment. How do you kill your husband? So to me, that's the worst thing that she's done. So anything after that? Okay.

[A]

Murder suspect Corey Richards, clearly swimming in millions of dollars of debt. And she believed, according to prosecutors, her husband's life insurance policy would take care of it all. But first, he had to die. We wait. As this case goes to trial and justice unfolds. Nancy Grace signing off. Goodbye friend.

[B]

10 athletes will face the toughest job interview in fitness that will push past physical and mental mental breaking points. You are the fittest of the fit. Only one of you will leave here with an IFIT contract worth $250,000. This is where mindset comes in. Someone will be eliminated.

[C]

Pressure is coming down.

[B]

This is Trainer Games.

[D]

Watch it on prime video starting January.

[F]

8Th it's the coziest time of year on Britbox. That means curling up with a gripping murder mystery, basking in a sp sumptuous period drama or discovering a new hidden gem. See the holidays differently when you stream the best of British TV with BritBox. Watch Britbox original series, including the new season of the award winning Belfast police drama Blue Lights. However you cozy this holiday, it's a bit warmer with Britbox. Watch with a free [e-mail] this is.

[B]

Sophia Bush from Work in Progress with Sophia Bush. Friends, I'm sure you're like me. My schedule is packed. I need solutions that work on my time, including beauty solutions. And Sensica does exactly that. They do professional hair removal right at home. Quick, easy and the results are amazing. What I love about the Sensilite is that it is a true game changer. It actually targets the root of the hair follicle and helps prevent regrowth. Plus it's cordless, makes it easy to use and DIY it in the comfort of my own home home. Go to bysensica.com that's B U Y S E N S I C A dot com and use code iheart for 10% off. Seriously, start now. You're gonna love it.

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